Ocean's Away
by XxMoonlitShadowxX
Summary: 17 year old siren Nelli has known ever since her birthday that it was time for her to find her mate. But on a chance encounter and a heroic rescue, she finds herself mated to Draco Malfoy, the bad boy Slytherin who's quickly stealing her heart. But the dangers of being the most eligible siren in the Wizarding World comes with dangers and questions of loyalty. Will they survive?
1. Chapter 1

Oceans Away Chapter 1

It was a sunny afternoon at Hogwarts as 17 year old best friends Nelli, Missy, Chloe and Mila headed down into the fields around the castle.

Chloe and Mila were going to pick flowers and do flower crafts out in the fields while Nelli and Missy tended to Nelli's peculiar needs.

Unlike her friends, Nelli had been born as a magical siren who could transform from her human form into her creature form anytime she wanted to go for a swim.

She also had the unfortunate ability to lure the boys and men of Hogwarts to her because of her siren abilities.

Usually it wasn't much of a problem, but lately she felt a strong urge to release her siren song and lure the boy that was meant for her.

Her mate.

All siren's had mates and usually their mates were human boys or men whom they had to travel on land to find.

It was very rare that a siren had another siren as a mate.

Technically only the females were called sirens.

The males were called mermen.

And Nelli was lucky enough that an entire kingdom of her kind lived at the bottom of the black lake right outside her school.

So, that was where Nelli and her best friend Missy were headed as they made their way through the tall grass and down onto the sandy shores.

They always hung out under the massive oak tree that was growing on the side of one of the sand dunes casting shade on the beach below.

Nelli and Missy had met each other for the first time underneath its branches in first year when Missy had accidentally caught Nelli swimming in the lake.

But instead of being frightened of the beautiful blonde with blue eyes and a sleek royal blue tail, she accepted her and the two had been best friends ever since.

Later on when Dumbledore had told her entire Hufflepuff House about her heritage, they all were sworn to secrecy for the sake of her privacy and she had made a whole ton of new friends because of it.

She was thankful that her fellow Hufflepuff's accepted her without hesitation and sometime they even threw parties late at night down on the beach where the humans and merpeople would mingle together in harmony.

But for the moment Nelli was just going for a swim while Missy was her lookout.

"It's beautiful out today." Missy exclaimed as she threw her school bag next to the tree's trunk and began taking off her outer robes.

"It's a perfect day for a swim." Nelli said as she began to remove all of her clothes.

Missy made a face before flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder.

"You're lucky no one's down here today. Last week I heard that Cedric got a peek of you when the Qudditch team came down here to cool off after the game. He's been boasting about it all week."

She said as she took off her shoes and socks and watched as Nelli quickly transformed and dove under the water's surface.

Nelli stretched out her tail and lazily drifted through the currents while adjusting her bikini top that always appeared whenever she transformed.

'Great. Now Cedric's finally got a story tell about us.' She thought to herself as she rolled her eyes and headed back up to the surface.

It was no secret that she and Cedric had been a hot item for three years.

But their relationship ended when Nelli refused to do anything more than kiss him.

She wasn't a prude. Not by a long shot.

But she had an overwhelming need to wait until she found her mate before she lost her virginity.

Cedric had been less than understanding and had spread several nasty rumors about it not only around their House but the others as well.

She was lucky that the Hufflepuff's except for a few, knew her well enough to know that the rumors weren't true.

Her friends had become her rock and she would've never made it through the breakup without their love and support.

She considered herself truly lucky to have a group of girls that despite her siren heritage, still loved her no matter what.

And as she broke through the surface of the water, she couldn't help but do a backflip because of how happy she was.

"Honestly Nell, you're going to be seen if you keep that up." Missy yelled from the shoreline making Nelli swim over and perch on a log before sticking her tongue out at her best friend.

"What's good about being a siren if I can't have a little fun?" She teased as Missy rolled her eyes.

"So what do you have planned for the evening?" Missy asked as she pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill and her school textbooks to start working on homework.

"Well I thought maybe we could all hang out in the library after I go see Severus for my potion refill." She said as Missy looked up in surprise.

For years the only people who had known of her heritage had been Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Severus figured out how to brew a potion that would temporarily render her siren song incapable of attracting any unwanted attention and needless to say she'd been taking it for years.

"Potion refill? Don't you usually get it refilled once a month? Why are needing another so soon?" Missy asked as Nelli's smile turned into a grimace.

"We had to up the dose ever since my birthday last week. Technically I've reached the age where I should be finding my mate and my song has increased greatly because of it. I've been having trouble keeping the boys of the school away." She said as Missy regarded her carefully.

"Does this mean that your mate is at Hogwarts?" She asked as Nelli nodded.

"Yes, that was originally why I was sent here after my parents died. Grandmother suspected that he was here and I was immediately enrolled. My body however has been reacting to whoever he is making me think that he's someone I've had close contact with."

Missy's eyebrows furrowed as she took in this new piece of information.

Missy was the most intelligent witch in Hufflepuff and even rivaled for top marks with the great Hermione Granger.

If you needed a problem solve, Missy was always the one you wanted to go to.

"So he may be in our house?" She asked as Nelli shrugged and ran a hand down her iridescent scales.

"Or a House that we interact with frequently. We won't know until my siren song and my body indicates who he is when he's in my presence. Before now I could be in a room with him and my body reacted only slightly. Now that I've come of age my song will lose control the next time he comes into close contact with me."

"Alright so Cedric and his friends obviously can't be your mate because you sat next to them at dinner last night and nothing happened. So at least you're not going to be stuck forever with those slimey gits." Missy mused as Nelli nodded in agreement.

It was a blessing from the merpeople Gods that she hadn't been paired with any of them.

Opting to jump back into the water and take one more lap around the lake, she glided through the underwater waves before she transformed back to her human form and stepped out onto the sandy beach.

She shook her head desperately trying to rid her hair of all the seaweed that had been caught in it as Missy laughed and conjured up a towel that she used to dry herself off with.

Right when she was about to redress herself, the sound of loud laughter reached the two girls.

Recognizing the laughter as male voices, the girls hurried up and collected their things before hiding behind the massive tree.

They watched as Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle sat down on the Hogwarts dock and brandished several bottles of alcohol.

Missy gasped as Nelli held onto her towel for dear life.

The next thing she knew her body was being rocked from an unseen magical force that made her drop her towel and fall to the ground as millions of different things overwhelmed her senses.

She let out a gasp as the scent of fresh baked bread, old parchment and rain washed over her in waves.

That was when she knew.

Letting out a scream of her native merlanguage, her body began to glow as her siren song lost control.

Missy fell to her knees beside her as she shook violently with the waves of pleasure that recognizing her mate for the first time gave her.

"What is it, Nelli? What's wrong?" She whispered to the girl whose body started to shimmer a pale gold in the fading afternoon sunlight.

"It's him. One of them is my mate." She croaked as they both watched as the three notorious Slytherin's knocked back bottle after bottle.

The sun was beginning to set and Nelli turned to Missy with the most serious look she could muster.

"You need to go back to the castle and tell Dumbledore and Severus what happened. There's going to be many preparations that need to be done."

Missy's eyes shone with worry for her friend as she took Nelli's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze and grimaced when the other girl let out another scream.

"Are you sure? You could be seen. I don't like the idea of leaving you like this." Missy said nervously as Nelli forced herself up into a sitting position and leaned against the tree while her breaths came out in pants.

"You need to go, Missy. I can't leave him. I need to know who he is." She said with her words ending in a sense of finality.

Missy froze for a few moments before she reluctantly nodded and grabbed her things as she started trudging her way back to the castle.

As soon as the sun set, Nelli staggered down onto the beach and dove into the water while transforming for a second time that day.

She weighed her options and decided to risk everything as she swam silently towards where the boy's feet were hanging off the dock.

Hiding herself under the docks wooden planks, she listened to their drunken chatter.

"Oy! You blokes bring any more liquor? I'm not even bloody drunk yet." She heard Draco say as she mentally groaned.

'Oh yes you are.' She thought as she peered through the slits in the planks and watched Crabbe and Goyle shake their heads.

"Nah, mate. This is the last bloody bottle." Crabbe hiccupped as he took another drink of the bottle of fire whiskey that was clutched between his chubby palms.

She stuck her head under water and let out an actual groan as she watched Draco's eyes narrow and his hand reach out trying to grab the bottle.

Crabbe put up a good fight that was for sure.

Soon Draco and Crabbe started to come to blows as Goyle tried to separate them.

Draco was no match for Crabbe and when Crabbe's fist hit Draco's face, she watched as Draco's eyes rolled into his head and he fell off the dock and into the murky waters below.

"Shit!" Goyle exclaimed as they both stood there too stupid and drunk to realize what they had done.

"Uh, he can't swim." Crabbe said as Goyle's eyes grew wide.

"Fuck we'll be charged with murder!" He said as Crabbe glanced over the side of the dock where Draco's lithe form had already disappeared down too far for them to reach.

"No we won't. We'll just tell everyone that Draco went home for the weekend." He said as Goyle stared blankly at him and then at the water before finally nodding in agreement.

"Fine. Let's get out of here." He said as the two quickly tossed all of the empty liquor bottles in the lake and ran all the way back to the castle.

Little did anyone know that the moment Draco hit the water and began to sink, Nelli had dove in and began searching for his body in the darkness of the lake.

It was dark out now, making the water in the lake murky and pitch black.

Nelli had enhanced eyesight with being a siren, but even she was having trouble seeing through the layers and layers of seaweed.

The moment that Draco's body hit the water she knew he was her mate.

And right now he was unconscious and drowning somewhere.

She could feel his heart rate increase and a painful ache formed in her chest letting her know that her mate was dying and time was running out.

She swam frantically through the water hoping and praying that Draco would still be alive when she found him.

Suddenly blue shockwaves of electrifying magical shot out through the water leading her over to where a very blue and cold Draco lay dying on the sand.

The blue shockwaves struck her and she winced at the powerful magic that was leaving her mate's body.

Without hesitating she grabbed him and raced to the surface where she quickly transformed and dragged her mate's lifeless body onto the shore.

Her whole body shook with heavy sobs as she felt his heartbeat cease in his chest.

She immediately started to recite resuscitation incantations as she desperately tried to bring him back to life.

She knew that resuscitation magic could only work if it had been less than a minute since the heart stopped beating.

She placed her hands on his chest and sent powerful pulses of magic to his heart, praying that she would hear its lovely sound once more.

And as if it had heard her cries, it started beating slowly at first and then faster as Draco began to seize and throw up water violently for several minutes before opening his eyes and blinking at her with a daze look.

Nelli quickly pressed a soft kiss to his lips before getting to her feet.

"I'll see you soon, my mate." She said loud enough for him to hear and then disappeared off into the darkness.

Draco slowly sat up and looked down at his wet clothes and then all around him as he tried to find the beautiful girl who had apparently saved his life.

But as soon as he stood and looked around him, he shivered only finding the whispers of the wind and no sign of the girl that was his mate.


	2. Chapter 2

Ocean's Away Chapter 2

When Nelli had gotten back to the castle, she was immediately met by Severus, the Headmaster and Minerva McGonagall.

They had rushed her to Albus's office where Missy was waiting for them.

As soon as she saw Nelli, she gasped and ran to her and threw her arms around the tired girl.

Nelli hadn't seen herself in a mirror yet but she was pretty sure that she looked terrible.

After all of the emotions that had gone through her when she found Draco and then saved his life, she was so exhausted that she could barely stand.

"Nelli please sit down and rest. We'll take care of the situation from here." Albus said gently as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

She slumped forward and put her head in her hands as Severus quickly crouched down in front of her to assess the condition that she was in.

"The bond has now taken effect. She's going to need to rest and replenish her energy but it won't be long before she's going to need her mate. They will only heal fully if they are together." He said as he met the eyes of Albus and Minerva.

"I think that both of them should be checked out by Poppy, Severus. The trauma that they've suffered tonight may have lasting effects." Minerva said as she looked over at Albus who was the calmest in the room.

Suddenly Nelli sat up and shook her head. "I need to see him." She croaked before she passed out completely from exhaustion.

Severus caught her before she hit the floor and cradled her small body in his arms as he stood and nodded to the others.

"As soon as Draco sets foot in the castle he'll be taken up to the Hospital Wing. I'll escort Nelli there myself. Both will spend the night with Poppy so she can assess their conditions." He said as Albus and Minerva nodded in agreement.

"What about Mr. Crabbe and Mr. Goyle?" Minerva asked as a dark expression came over the potion master's face.

"I assure you that they will be dealt with accordingly." He said before he turned and hurried out of the office and down the stairs on his way to the Hospital Wing.

Ever since the young girl had arrived at Hogwarts as an orphaned first year, Severus had become quite fond of her.

He was gentler when it came to her and he often saw her as the daughter he never had.

He knew that as soon as Lucius and Narcissa found out about her that they would be ecstatic.

Nelli wasn't just any Siren.

She was a princess among her people and had become the most sought after Siren to ever have existed in their World.

He knew that the Malfoy's would be proud of the bond that she and her son shared and would welcome the girl with open arms.

He had no doubts about the fact that they would treat her as the princess she was and would spoil her rotten.

The thought brought a smile to his face as he looked down at the battered and exhausted girl in his arms.

As soon as he reached the Hospital Wing, he burst through the door and found that Poppy was already waiting for them.

"Good evening, Madam." He drawled as he gently laid the young girl down on one of the beds.

"Oh poor dear. She looks utterly dreadful. Ah, well hopefully a bath and a nice calming drought will help." Poppy said as she began to fuss over her newest patient.

"Her mate is going to be brought up to you as soon as we find him. It appears that he had drowned and died tonight but Nelli had successfully revived him with resuscitation spells."

He said as Poppy's eyes grew wide in shock.

"He had died and she brought him back to life?! Where is this student, Severus? You need to bring him to me immediately."

Severus rolled his eyes at her heavy dramatics and gave her a slight smile.

"It seems as though she has revived him so well that he is acting like he had never died in the first place." He said as her jaw dropped at his lack of concern.

"What on **_earth_** are you talking about, Severus?! The boy was **_DEAD_**! There is no way he could even be conscious right now!" She bellowed as he quirked an eyebrow before stepping off to the side.

"I beg to differ." He drawled as a very wet, and cold but very alive Draco let out a loud growl and dropped to his knees beside the bed.

His eyes scanned over his mate's figure and he took her hand in his own clinging to it like a lifeline.

"Mr. Malfoy! You are her mate? You have bloody died tonight and you wonder what happened to her?!" Poppy screeched as Severus winced at her tone.

But Draco didn't seem to care in the slightest about her or his condition as he reached up and traced the faint lines of his mate's delicate features.

Tears began to fall down his cheeks as he bent down and placed a small kiss on her lips before nuzzling his cheek with his nose.

Before he had died tonight he had known very little about what to expect when he found his mate but now that he had found her, he remembered each and every story that his father had told him.

No one knew that Draco was a full blooded veela except Severus, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and his parents.

He had intended to keep it that way but when he felt the familiar ache of his wings sprouting, he knew that he couldn't keep his heritage a secret any longer.

Suddenly large black feathery wings burst from his back making Poppy shriek in surprise.

"He's a Veela?!" She cried as Draco barely glanced over at her before climbing into bed with his mate and purred as he took her into his arms and wrapped his wings tightly around them like a soft cocoon.

Severus ran a hand through his hair and cursed under his breath as Poppy stared wide eyed at the massive black bundle of feathers.

But they both turned when Professor Dumbledore's voice sounded from behind them.

"Ah, Severus. I do believe this is exactly what we have been waiting for isn't it? Poppy please calm yourself as you are only making Mr. Malfoy tenser." He said calmly as he conjured up an arm chair and took a seat a few feet away from the bed.

"How is this even possible, Albus?" Poppy asked as Professor McGonagall conjured up another arm chair for her to collapse into.

"The mating of a full blooded Siren and a full blooded Veela is quite rare, and it the most powerful form of creature bonding in this world and the next.

But because Nelli is not a regular Siren, but a Princess of the Sirens, this particular bond that has been created between she and Mr. Malfoy is much more powerful than a regular bond.

You see, not only will she be sharing a mating bond with him but she will also be soul bound to him as well.

This type of bond I must admit is somewhat of an uncharted territory for all of us in the Wizarding World.

But from what I understand, as soon as they complete the mating process and Mr. Malfoy has marked and claimed her, they will essentially become one whole being.

Their abilities that they will receive will be quite powerful but alas, I am uncertain as to what abilities will manifest in them through their bond.

The only way we will know is to wait and see what happens after they complete the mating process."

He said with a certain sparkle in his eyes.

Draco had heard every word that had been said but he already knew what was happening since his father had told him of the fairytale like bond when he was a small child.

As soon as everyone left them alone for the night, he let out a purr of happiness and kissed his mate's forehead before nestling his face against her shoulder where soon he would mark and claim her as his own.

"Sleep well, my little siren." He whispered as he too fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Ocean's Away Chapter 3

Late that night, Nelli woke up and panicked as she struggled against someone's hold.

Everything was dark and she felt like she couldn't breathe wherever she was.

Suddenly a strange cooing sounded in the darkness and she felt herself relax against whatever creature that was holding her hostage.

Then the darkness faded when found herself bathed in moonlight and what looked like wings spread out behind her as she heard a quiet chuckle next to her ear.

"It's alright, my love. You're safe. I'm here now." She heard the voice say and her eyes widened in shock when she looked behind her and found that Draco was laying against the pillows giving her a reassuring smile.

He was shirtless and she could see a smattering of blonde chest hair that was speckled all around his pale, sculpted chest.

But what surprised her the most was that his eyes had turned black and a pair of beautiful black wings were coming out of his back.

She gasped as he laughed and looked down at her in amusement.

"Are they real?" She murmured as her mate nodded and fluttered them lightly.

"Yes, love. They're real. You were sleeping so snuggly in them too. Did I wake you?" He asked as she shook her head and reached her hand out to run her fingers over his wing's soft feathers.

He purred under her careful ministrations before he gently took her hand away.

"As much as I'd love for you to continue, I feel myself losing control and I don't want to mark and claim you before you know your options." He said as Nelli looked up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean, options?" She asked as his eyes momentarily flashed to their regular icy blue.

"Well, as you can tell I'm not exactly human. And I know that you're not either." He said as she reeled back in surprise.

"How did you know that?" She whispered making a small smile appear on his thin lips.

"Because I'm your mate and also a full blooded veela. You also smelled different than a human when we were down at the beach." He said gently as she looked away at the mention of what happened earlier that night.

Draco's eyes softened as he gently took hold of her chin and lifted her head so she could look him in the eyes.

When he saw that tears had begun to fall from her eyes, he cooed softly to her and carefully took her into his arms before wrapping his wings around them both.

"I'm alive, love. And although I am very thankful that you saved me, I should probably let you know that I wouldn't have stayed dead for long. My body regenerates itself when I've been injured. I'm immortal and soon you will be too when we mate for the first time." He reassured her as her brows furrowed in confusion.

"How did you become immortal?" She asked as she laid her head on his chest wanting to hear his heartbeat for herself.

Her mate simply smiled and shook his head before his fingers made their way into her hair and he pulled her close before pecking her on the lips.

"One day I'll tell you that story. But not tonight." He said as he pulled back to look into her eyes.

She nodded and reached up to place her hand on his cheek.

She couldn't believe that this was real. That he was real.

And she already knew that she loved him more than anything.

His smile faltered as he looked away making her heart drop down into her stomach.

"You should also be aware that you have a choice with all of…this.

You have the right to reject me if you wish to do so."

Her eyes widened and she pulled back as his voice cracked with sadness.

"If you reject me though I will never be able to feel any emotion ever again.

I'm immortal so I wouldn't die like normal veelas, but breaking our bond would make me wish I did.

When a veela's mate rejects them, they slowly wither away until they're only a shell of who they once were.

I would physically be alive, but I would be dead on the inside."

He whispered as tears stung at her eyes at how broken he looked in that moment.

Nelli wiped at her eyes before shaking her head.

Draco's breath caught in his throat thinking that she was rejecting him, but he was surprised when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed a hard, bruising kiss to his lips making him let out a groan of pleasure.

She kissed him again and again as she ran her fingers through his blonde locks.

When she finally came up for air, they were both panting heavily with smiles planted firmly on their lips.

"I love you Draco. And I would NEVER reject you. You're my life and the other half of my soul. We will never be apart again." She said as he looked at her with a look of awe and wonder.

He was rendered speechless and could only nod in understanding as he became completely stunned at how this perfect, beautiful creature was his mate and that he would get to stay by her side until the end of time.

"I love you too…" He whispered before he pulled her close and relished in the feeling of his mate's lips on his own for the rest of the night.


	4. Chapter 4

Ocean's Away Chapter 4

The faint glow of the early morning light filtered down through the castle's Infirmary's windows as Nelli lifted her head delicately off of her mate's shoulder.

Blinking slowly in the sunlight, she yawned and thought back to everything that had happened last night.

One moment she was swimming happily in the lake with her friends, and the next minute she had been rescuing Draco from an untimely death.

She smirked as she thought back to what Draco had said about his supposed death.

Leave it to the Slytherin Snake Prince to become immortal.

Memories of kissing her mate made her stomach flutter with little butterflies as her insides clenched hard at the new sensation.

So this was what it was like to have a mate.

Nelli jumped as long, pale fingers brushed her blonde hair out of her face.

"Good morning, little princess." Draco's voice drawled as she turned to face him.

Her face scrunched up cutely as she mulled over her new nickname.

"Princess? Really? Not feeling very original are we?" she huffed as she gave him a fake pouty face.

"That's what you are, aren't you? The princess of the Sirens, that has become the mate of the winged creature of darkness? Rather cliché isn't it?" Draco said as his pitch black eyes met her own.

She supposed it was rather cliché.

But, this was her life now and she had better start fully accepting it.

"So princess, breakfast in bed or breakfast with company?" Her mate questioned as a slow smirk spread over his thin lips.

His wings fluttered behind him as she quirked an eyebrow at his winged antics.

"Do we really have a choice? After all we are supposed to be recovering from a terrifying incident. Madam Pomfrey should be around here somewhere. I bet she's dying to ring our necks for sleeping in the same room, let alone the same bed." Nelli said as Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Of course we have a choice, love. We always have a choice. I'm not a Malfoy for no reason. There's a method to my madness I promise you." He said with his trademark Slytherin smirk.

No sooner had she opened her mouth to argue with him, the curtains burst open around the bed that they were now haphazardly laying in and Madam Pomfrey herself appeared with a none too happy look.

"Mr. Malfoy, I do believe it's time for you to change back into your human form and exit the room. Your highness it would be wise of you to say goodbye to Mr. Malfoy and head to my office so we can discuss some changes that will be occurring."

Draco snarled at the mediwitch, but the witch's expression only grew into a hardened look.

"Mr. Malfoy, get yourself under control or so help me, Merlin I will lock you in the broom closet until you can sort out your issues." The witch said in a clipped tone.

Nelli placed a hand on her mate's shoulder who looked like he was two seconds away from ripping the angry witch to shreds.

"Draco, behave yourself. We can't afford to get ourselves into more trouble than we already have. Just do what she says and I'll meet you down at breakfast." She chided as Draco stilled for a moment before letting out an annoyed squawking noise.

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at the two students interactions before rolling her eyes dismissively as Draco slowly rose from the bed and stalked over to the door.

There was a flash of light before Draco reappeared as his human self.

"If you're not downstairs within the next fifteen minutes, I'm going to come here and bring you down myself." He said as he eyed his mate and the mediwitch warily.

Now both Nelli and Madam Pomfrey rolled their eyes as he stalked out of the room, finally leaving them in peace.

Turning to the young siren, Poppy crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the new mate of the Serpent Prince.

"You've got your hands full with that one, I'll say. Good luck in getting him to do anything." She said with a sigh as Nelli nodded blankly in agreement.

"Now go wash up in the girl's lavatory and meet me back here in my office. If you're going to be mated to a veela, than you're going to need to know what exactly you just agreed to."

Madam Pomfrey said as Nelli none too gracefully removed herself from the bed.

"Darling, you're in for quite a journey." The mediwitch mumbled to herself as she watched the young girl trip over her own feet and stumble out of the room.

Little did Nelli know, the mediwitch's words would become much more than a warning.


	5. Chapter 5

Ocean's Away Chapter 5

The slick suds of shampoo washed away as Nelli tilted her body back so it was fully submerged under the cold bath water.

Sirens and Merpeople always preferred cold water over warm.

It always reminded her of the bottom of the lake as the cool chill stroked over her naked skin.

Her tail flicked water out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor as she recharged.

Apparently Madam Pomfrey knew about the rejuvenation process of the Merpeople.

How, she didn't know but none the less it was helpful all the same.

Nelli mused that Albus Dumbledore probably informed her of how to take care of a healing Siren.

Laying on the cool, stone bottom; Nelli ran a hand down her scales as she pondered whether or not the whole school had found out about her new mate, or if Draco had managed to keep his mouth shut.

She let out a huff of bubbles as she imagined the reaction of the student population.

Running her fingers through her long blonde hair, she shook her head before rising up out of the water and stepping out of the tub.

After getting dressed in her school uniform, she grabbed her book bag and headed over to Madam Pomfrey's office for what she knew was about to be the lecture of a lifetime.

Knocking once, she entered the small office that was filled with different healing potions and a desk with two chairs.

A large book was open and papers were scattered about the top of the desk.

She debated peeking over at the book, seeing as it appeared to be from the Restricted section of the library but decided against it as the sound of the door quickly opening and closing behind her was heard.

"Nelli, I do presume your healing went well." Madam Pomfrey's voice stated as the mediwitch took a seat behind the desk.

Nodding, Nelli her head to greet the emerald gaze of Hogwarts most famous healer.

"Yes, I am good for now I think. How did you know about my healing process? As far as I know that is a secret that we Merpeople hold very dear."

Madam Pomfrey waved her hand dismissively, not even acknowledging the question as she then got to work scribbling what looked like a list on a piece of parchment.

"Starting today, you need to rejuvenate at least twice a day, once in the morning; and once in the evening. Being mated to a veela is going to make your body and magic exhausted. You need ample amounts of rest if you're going to survive long enough to mate."

Madam Pomfrey said as she finished the list and handed the parchment over to a very stunned and silent Nelli.

Twice a day?!

Nelli's mind screeched as the young girl thought back to everything she had ever learned about her kind.

She had never heard of a merperson ever needing rejuvenation except in times of extreme trauma.

Was her mating with Draco really going to be so taxing?

Shaking her head, she read the list as the mediwitch explained it out loud.

"Along with rejuvenation every day, you will have to follow a set of rules when around Mr. Malfoy. If these rules are not followed carefully, you may find yourself injured or worse. It is not out of the realm of possibility for a young veela to accidentally kill his own mate in a fit of rage."

Nelli's head shot up and her eyes grew wide as her magic pulsed dangerously in her veins.

Draco could kill her?

She would've said over her dead body, but that point was apparently moot when dealing with this particular subject.

Death wasn't an option so she opted to listen carefully to what the woman had to say.

"Rule number one, you are never to be in a room completely alone with Mr. Malfoy until you've completed the stages of courting and have magically matured enough to defend yourself in the event things take a bad turn.

If you're alone with Mr. Malfoy when he's upset, he could prove to be the end of you. He will have no control over his veela magic until the night of your mating.

Rule number two, you are not allowed to discuss the status of your courtship with anyone except those of us involved. If it got out about your mating before you both have magically matured, you may warrant yourselves some unwanted and potentially deadly attention.

The last and final rule is that from this day forward you will be living within the walls of your mate's home until you and Mr. Malfoy are married and your mating occurs.

You both will still be attending school, but will have much more intense and shortened studies packed into a two day school schedule each week.

The rest of the time you and Mr. Malfoy will be getting to know each other through the courting process and preparing for your impending nuptials.

And trust me sweetheart, you will want to be married when the night of your mating occurs.

There is no birth control spell in existence that is strong enough to stop a veela's sperm from impregnating their mate."

Madam Pomfrey said as Nelli dropped the piece of parchment that she was holding.

Not only would she be taken away from her home in the black lake, but now she was expected to marry and become pregnant by Draco Malfoy?

Her hands shook in her lap as she tried but failed to digest the massive amount of new information that she had just been told.

Madam Pomfrey was right.

She had no idea what she had gotten herself into by accepting Draco as her mate.

Now the question was, where did she go from here and how was she going to ever face her mate that was now also her fiancé and future father of her offspring?

She was shaken out of her reverie by Madam Pomfrey's voice that had taken a more soothing and motherly tone.

"Now dear, don't you worry. Everything will be alright. Many of the girl's in our world would say that you're the luckiest girl in it now that you're going to be the mate and married to the Draco Malfoy. Tons of them would kill to be in your predicament."

Her words were drowned out by the noisy screech of Nelli's chair as she flew out of it and raced out the door and into the depths of the castle.

Madam Pomfrey sighed and ran her hand through her grey locks.

"Only time will tell about you, Ms. Nelli." She said to the now empty chair.

Change was coming fast on the horizon and only time would tell if it would be full of sunshine or a storm that was beginning to brew.


	6. Chapter 6

Ocean's Away Chapter 6

A/N: Hello everyone. So sorry it's taking so long to get these chapters up. I do promise though that they will always come. It sometimes takes me a bit to get my thoughts together on a particular chapter which was definitely the case on this one. I think it turned out rather well. Let me know what you think.-MoonlitShadow

Nelli ran all the way back to the Ravenclaw Dormitories where she made her way up the steps to her room that she shared with her friends two at a time.

Bursting into the room, she barely noticed her friends as she jumped onto her bed and collapsed into a heap on top of her silver and navy blue covers.

Missy, Chloe and Mila exchanged a look before quickly making their way over to her.

They all surrounded her on the bed as Missy began to rub her back and Chloe and Mila looked on with sympathetic expressions.

"What's wrong, Nel? Are you alright?"

Missy asked gently as Nelli shook her head and cried harder into her pillow.

"I'm mated to Draco Malfoy."

She said simply as the other girl's mouths dropped open in shock.

Missy's hand didn't stop rubbing as it moved on to her shoulders.

"Well that's certainly news."

She said as Chloe and Mila nodded in agreement.

"So what does that mean?"

Chloe asked as the others moved closer offering little touches of comfort.

"It means I'm going to have to marry him and leave the lake so I can go live with him in that awful Manor that everyone talks about."

She cried as her friends nodded in understanding.

"But if you're mated to him doesn't that mean that you were always meant to be together?"

Mila asked as Nelli sniffled and reluctantly nodded.

"So would it really be all that terrible to be mated to the one who you were destined to love and marry anyways?"

Missy said gently as Nelli's sobs began to die down.

"No. I don't know."

She sniffled as her sobs turned into hiccups.

"And you seemed awfully concerned about him when we arrived back at school. Are you sure that spending more time with him would be such a bad thing?"

Missy pressed as Nelli took her friends words into consideration.

Maybe they were right.

Maybe living with Draco wouldn't be so bad after all.

She always knew that she would marry her mate but the fact that it was Draco made her pause and question everything.

She felt a sharp pain in her heart when she thought of living without him and knew that she needed him just as much as he needed her.

They were mates now and one couldn't live without the other.

Well, technically they could but it wouldn't be very pleasant for either of them.

Her friends waited patiently as she mulled over her options.

Draco and she were always destined to be together.

That was the very meaning of being mates wasn't it?

So what if she had to live in some creepy manor?

At least they would be together.

And the thought of marrying him was beginning to make her heart warm and her insides twist around in a way that she had never felt before.

It was that feeling that made her make up her mind.

She would move in with Draco and she would most definitely marry him.

It had startled her and somewhat made her afraid when Madam Pomfrey had spoken in such finality but when she thought of Draco's face and the feeling of being wrapped in his silky wings, she knew she was making the right choice.

A knock sounded on the bedroom door, making them all glance up.

They were shocked and bewildered when Draco stalked into the room and made his way immediately over to her.

"I felt your sadness and fear and thought I'd come see what this was about."

He said gently as he knelt beside her bed and began to run his fingers through her long hair.

Nelli's eyes met his gray orbs and saw the concern that swirled in their depths.

He was worried.

She had made him worried and afraid.

She felt terrible and she knew she had to make it right.

Her friends watched with shocked expressions as she went into his arms without hesitation and clung to him as if her life depended on it.

And in that moment she knew it did.

He was her mate, and he would never think of causing her any harm.

Draco let out a purr of approval as he wrapped his arms around her tightly and gave her a loving squeeze.

"I'm sorry I made you worry. I was just a little spooked is all."

She said quietly as he pulled back and looked down at her in concern.

"Spooked by what, love?"

He asked as he searched her face for any sign of what was the matter.

"Madam Pomfrey was telling me the rules about our relationship and how I was going to be moving into your manor as soon as possible."

She said making his eyebrows rise in surprise.

"I didn't think she would have that conversation without me being there. I apologize if she frightened you. There is nothing for you to worry about. I am no danger to you and you need to know that with every fiber of your being.

I love you more than words can say and I would never dream of harming you or living without you for that matter. As for moving into the manor, let me be the first to tell you that I owled my parents and they are so excited to get to meet you.

My mother is practically over the moon happy and my father won't stop bragging to everyone about his soon to be new daughter in law. Please don't be worried, love. Everything will be alright, I promise."

He said gently as he cupped her face in his hands and planted a soft kiss on her lips.

His lips molded to her own perfectly as they moved against one another in a slow, delicious rhythm.

One of his hands came up behind her to grasp the back of her head while his other moved slowly down her back as he pulled her closer.

Their passionate embrace was cut short though when the sounds of fake gagging came from the other side of the room.

They looked up to see Missy looking at them with a fake disgusted look and Mila and Chloe giggling manically behind their hands.

"Get a room, you two."

Missy groaned as Nelli shot her a playful glare.

Draco's eyebrow raised in a silent challenge as he gestured to the room around them.

"I do believe we're in one, are we not?"

He said cheekily making Missy stick her tongue out at him before she and the other girls made their way out of the room and left the two mates alone for the first time that day.

"Well look at that. We're alone again."

He whispered into her ear making her go into a giggle fit.

"I vote for a lovely make out session before we head back to class."

He said in a conspiratorial tone.

Nelli let out a squeak as his lips descended upon her own and his wings wrapped around them, shielding them once again from the outside world as their bond continued to grow and flourish between them.


	7. Chapter 7

wOcean's Away Chapter 7

A/N: Hey guys it's me! I'm sooo sorry for the long wait on this chapter. I don't mean for it to be this long in between chapters but honestly I've been having severe writer's block on ALL of my harry potter stories. So, with that said if any of you have any comments or suggestions or ideas or anything at all to let me know about my stories, please feel free to leave a comment or pm me anytime. I just ask that you keep your comments kind. Thanks-MoonlitShadow

Nelli and Draco exited the portrait to Ravenclaw dormitories holding hands and giggling up a storm.

No one but them and Nelli's friends knew of the epic makeout session that had just occurred in the girl's dormitories.

Nelli was definitely feeling more at ease around her mate and the fact that he clarified everything about her new living arrangements and what was expected of her made her feel nothing but sweet things for him and his family.

She was actually beginning to feel a bit excited at the idea of moving into a new home where she had been told many times in between Draco's delicious kisses that she would be spoiled just like she should have been all along.

His words had made her think back to her life in the palace at the bottom of the lake with others like herself.

The palace was very grand and hidden deep within the seaweed so it wouldn't be found by anyone who wasn't supposed to be there.

But her wing of rooms that she had in the palace were surprisingly plain in comparison to the rest of the place.

After her parent's death, they had instructed the staff of the palace to specifically make sure that she had as normal of a life as possible including making sure that she had rooms that looked just like any other girl her age's rooms at home.

She never had anything too wild or crazy expensive like she knew of the more pureblooded witches in her year had at their grand estates but she never was one to mind that very much.

But now she was getting excited at the prospect of perhaps having a bit grander of a life than she had got to live on her own.

It made her mating to Draco all the sweeter she thought.

She knew now that her friends were also crazy excited about her new life with the Malfoy family seeing as how they hadn't minded a bit that Draco had stolen her away from them for a good makeout session.

Happy thoughts and many different ideas continued to swirl through her brain as she and Draco talked animatedly about their future as they made their way down into the dungeons for their next class which happened to be her very favorite one.

Potions with Professor Snape had always been a fun experience seeing as how the Professor often tended to favor her and treat her with a great deal of respect.

She had known about Severus Snape long ago when her parents were still alive.

Apparently he had been good friends with her mother when she had attended Hogwarts with her father.

Sometimes she wondered how well exactly Severus knew her mother because of the kindness and love that he showed her despite being one of the strictest Professors in the entire school.

She also knew that Draco was his god son and that she would definitely be seeing more of him throughout their new lives together.

Her heart fluttered with a certain fondness as they entered their classroom and the notorious Professor rushed to greet them.

"Professor! How good it is to see you. I thank you for all that you've done with everything that has happened these past few days. Draco and I definitely appreciate it."

She drawled in her aristocratic tone that she almost never used except in front of Professors and anyone else who was of higher importance.

"Nelli, Draco. I'm glad to see you two are faring better than when I last saw you.

Nelli, how have you been managing without your daily potions?

I know it's only been a day, but now that you've officially sung your siren song for Draco your urge to mate should calm down just a bit.

However, I will warn you that the longer you two wait to complete the final stages of mating and courtship, the more likelihood that those symptoms will return with a certain vengeance."

He said as he looked over her with a keen eye making sure that she was absolutely doing as well as she said she was.

"Potions? What daily potions?"

Draco asked as a confused look spread over his features.

Nelli blushed and Severus took this as his cue to step in and explain for the embarrassed Princess.

"Ms. Nelli has been taking a daily potion each month to repress the effects of being an unmated siren who had yet to find her mate. I'm sure as you know, just like with being a veela, unmated sirens have a lot of trouble keeping the wrong kind of attention away from them from the opposite sex.

An unmated siren tends to give off certain pheromones that wizards tend to respond to in the strangest of ways."

He said as he gave Draco a look.

Draco's eyes lit up in recognition and he looked down at his mate in concern.

"So now that you've sung your song for me that should keep the rest of the males in this school at bay until we mate for good?"

He asked as both Severus and Nelli nodded.

"It should for now. But I suggest that you two don't wait too long before completing the rest of your mating rituals."

Severus drawled as he looked between the two.

Both Nelli and Draco nodded in understanding and Severus stepped back as the classroom began to fill with more students.

"If either of you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to come see me."

He said before he gave them a subtle nod and went about his class business.

Draco led Nelli to the back of the room where he and the other Slytherin's usually sat and got comfortable in a seat next to his mate.

Nelli looked around them nervously and became very still when the other Slytherin's arrived.

Blaise and Theo quirked an eyebrow at her and then looked to Draco who nodded at them in greeting.

Pansy, Astoria, Millicent and Tracey looked her up and down before shrugging to one another and flashing her a friendly smile.

They had all seen the new girl around school before but none of them had ever had any interaction with her but from what they could tell, she was worthy enough to sit with them and their friends.

Draco was relieved that his friends seemed to react so well to his mate sitting with them for the first time and he could see that Nelli also relaxed a great deal now that the Slytherin's seemed to accept her as one of their own.

The Slytherin's attention was drawn away from her immediately when the Gryffindors entered the room.

Nelli could tell from Draco and his friend's harsh glares that they were definitely not friendly with the lions.

As soon as Harry Potter and his friends came into the room it looked as though an all out war was going to start again.

Ron Weasley sneered at Draco who sneered back with equal amounts of hate. Harry and Hermione barely noticed the newest addition to the Slytherin pack and decided to ignore any negative attention that came their way.

Nelli knew who Harry Potter and his friends were and what they had done when the war was going on.

But since she was in a different house, she rarely interacted with them and thus hadn't known them personally.

But from what she heard, they were good people so she merely stared after them before losing interest and turning back to her mate.

She never was one for hating others so the war between the purebloods and the muggles never made much sense to her.

Many who knew her believed that her parents had been killed by death eaters in the war.

But the truth was they were stolen from her in a car accident in the west side of London.

She didn't really go out of her way to correct people on the way they thought her parents had died for the sake of keeping some things about her life more private.

She watched with vague interest as the Ravenclaw students filed into the room, many of which sent her friendly smiles and waves.

Before the end of the war, most classes in Hogwarts were usually held with only two different houses in each class.

After the war though, many of the Professors made arrangements for at least three or more of the houses to be mixed together in one classroom setting.

She figured it was to promote unity amongst the different houses but so far she hadn't seen very much progress in that department.

But who was she to complain?

She wasn't personally involved with anything having to do with the war she just opted to stay out of it.

She was drawn out of her thoughts when she felt Draco's hand slip over her own under the table making her glance over at him with a sweet smile.

Draco gave her a dazzling smile of his own in return making her heart melt into a pile of mush.

She barely registered it when Severus began his lesson on some odd potion that they were going to be brewing.

That was another thing about her.

She was always particularly gifted at potions having been tutored by Severus himself.

Her mother was always a fan of her learning extra things to support her education that she would learn in the classroom so they often opted for Severus to tutor her in anything that he could think of.

She groaned though with the rest of the class when Severus stated that they would only be making a simple healing potion for broken bones.

She sighed and went to collect her equipment from the shelves in the front of the room knowing that the healing potions that they were brewing were indeed important seeing as how they helped aid St. Mungo's in healing the injured from the war.

When she went up to collect her cauldron she noticed that Hermione Granger was in line in front of her and when she arrived behind the famous witch she gave her a rather curious look.

Nelli tilted her head to the side in a silent question before Hermione shook her head with a small smile and turned back around.

Nelli's brows furrowed and she found herself confused by the witch's actions but shook it off and figured it must be some coincidence.

Once she had collected all of her equipment, she made her way back to the table she shared with Draco where he and the other Slytherin's seemed to be watching her with great interest.

"What did Granger say to you, love?"

Draco asked as he looked her up and down as if checking to see if she was harmed in some way.

Nelli shook her head and shrugged before taking her seat beside him and getting started on her potion.

"She didn't say anything. She just gave me a strange look. I have no clue what she wanted."

She said as Draco exchanged a look with the Slytherin's.

"It'd be best if you stayed away from her and the rest of the Golden twats."

He said carefully as she nodded in agreement.

She didn't know Hermione and didn't really have anything against her but she definitely wasn't going to jeopardize her new relationship with her mate and his friends over something the strange witch did.

The rest of the class went by without any sort of incident and Nelli was delighted when she and Draco both were the first to finish their potions and receive perfect marks for them.

"It seems you also have a love for potion making, darling."

Draco drawled as they collected their things after class and headed towards the door.

Nelli giggled and nodded before grasping his hand in her own putting a full megawatt smile on the blonde's face.

"Oh yes, your godfather did teach me rather well I suppose."

She said wondering whether or not Draco knew of her private sessions with Severus.

Apparently he did not because his eyes widened for a moment before he looked at her with a look of pure awe.

"You've been tutored by my godfather? How in the bloody hell did you manage that? My mum and dad always were badgering him about tutoring me over the summer every year but he refused to do it. Said something about not trying to favor his students."

He said as they made their way through the crowded hallways.

Nelli shrugged and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"My mum and dad were good friends with Severus when they went to Hogwarts. My mum asked Severus if he could tutor me and he agreed. We've been having private sessions since I was a little girl."

She stated making Draco look down at her in surprise.

"I never knew Severus knew your parents. Do you suppose your parents knew my parents as well?"

He wondered aloud as she answered with just a shrug.

"I don't know. I never heard them mention anyone by your name before. So I'm guessing not. But we can definitely ask your parents if they remember my mum and dad when we see them next."

She concluded with a small smile as Draco nodded in agreement.

"Yes that would be very interesting to hear whether or not our parents were old friends. By the way, I got an owl from my mother last night inviting us to stay at the manor this weekend so we can start bonding as a family.

My mother is beside herself with excitement about meeting you and is willing to do anything you wish to make you comfortable in our home."

He drawled as he looked down at her with a sparkle in his grey eyes.

Nelli nodded and leaned up to kiss his cheek making the blonde blush brightly.

"Absolutely! I think that's a wonderful idea. Please tell your mother that I look forward to spending time with both her and your father and hope that we can spend lots of time bonding together."

Draco's eyes shined with love for his new mate as he pulled them to a stop in the middle of the hallway and took her into his arms so he could properly let her know how much he appreciated her.

As soon as his lips melded with her own, Nelli found herself growing weak in the knees as she groaned and let out a breathy moan of pleasure as a shockwave of sensation flooded throughout her body.

All too soon, her mate pulled away and kissed her gently on her forehead before proceeding to lead her into the Great Hall for lunch.

A firm smile was planted on her now slightly swollen lips and she wore it proudly displaying her love and devotion for the man that was to become her everything.


	8. Chapter 8

Oceans Away Chapter 8

A/N: Hey guys! I know, I know. It's been a really long time since I've updated. A couple of weeks at least. But I promise you I will always update so no worries. Things are starting to fall into place for Nelli and Draco now. And the Malfoy's are going to be involved much more than you'd think. Thankfully, both Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy adore Nelli. Even if at first it's simply because of her blood status. Because you know. They're funny like that. Theme song for this chapter is If You Could See Me Now by P.O.D.-MoonlitShadow

Before she knew it, the week was already over and it was only half an hour more before she and Draco departed Hogwarts for the Malfoy Manor where she would formally be introduced to her mate's parents and the staff of the manor.

There had been several rumors going on around Hogsmeade about Draco Malfoy having a new female companion and both she and Draco knew it would only be a matter of time

before they would have to officially announce their courtship to the Wizarding World.

Seeing as how both of them were a part of the very elite group of aristocracy in their world, they needed to make sure to follow every

single procedure and tradition that went along with regular pureblood courtships.

Nelli was struggling to clasp the back of her diamond and sapphire necklace that Draco had gifted her just for this occasion right as her best friends had left, each giving her good advice and tons of best friend support promising that they'd take a night to themselves and catch up on everything that had happened once she returned.

Finally, the small clasp secured itself into place and she gave herself a relieved smile as she admired herself in her new custom formal dress that Draco and she had purchased in the best section of Wizarding London the other day.

She let the sapphire pendant that was surrounded by a ring of shining diamonds fall flat against her pure white long sleeved cashmere sweater and lifted up her tea length royal blue skirt that matched her sapphire pendant to slip carefully into a pair of matching heels.

Once again she stood tall in front of the mirror and marveled the way the late evening sun was making her long blonde curls shimmer in the dim light of her room at Hogwarts.

She pursed her lips and looked around the room one last time.

It would be the last time that she would be staying within the Hufflepuff dorms.

Since she was now mated to a Malfoy, both her and Draco had gotten special permission to live and stay at the Malfoy Manor while still attending school.

Everyday they would floo from one location to the other making it easy for their lives to become more intimate.

All of her things had already been shipped over to the manor earlier that day and from what Draco had told her in a letter that he had sent by owl, his mother was having the time of

her life instructing the decorators and interior designers on how her room was to be

decorated and fixed up so when she arrived everything would already be ready for her.

Draco had argued with his parents over the fact that now since he had a mate, he needed her to sleep in the same bed but his parents and the school were very adamant on making sure that their vows would be said before they ever shared a room or bed together.

So for now, Nelli would have her own room and bathroom at the manor and Draco would have his usual room and bathroom on the other side of the house just so they could keep the two separate enough to not have any type of temptations between them.

Severus had already had a strict talk with Draco about the do's and don'ts of being a mated veela who also was mated to not only a full blooded siren, but a royal one at that.

Nelli sighed and went to the window to watch the sun set over the horizon.

There were going to be so many rules that they'd have to follow just in order to have a proper mating and marriage between their two races.

It was times like this that she often envied humans and their simple ways of life.

A knock sounded quietly on the door and she called a soft answer as the door opened and her mate appeared with a sweet smile.

"Hello, darling. Don't you look gorgeous? My mother is going to go absolutely insane over your impeccable style sense.

She always did say that I needed to marry a witch that was on top of all the style trends in our world so we would always look gorgeous together."

He drawled as he came over and took her into his arms.

He leaned her backwards almost to the floor making her shriek with laughter as he proceeded to kiss all over her face and down her neck stopping just above the valley of her sweater covered breasts.

Nelli blushed heavily as his head stilled right over that spot for several seconds before he finally raised them both back up to stand tall in each others arms.

"Oh what I would give to see what's underneath that lovely sweater, my love."

Draco murmured as he gently took hold of her chin and tilted her head up so her lips molded against his own perfectly.

Everything about them being mates had seemed so perfect so far.

Both only could pray that it remained that way throughout the tough and challenging times that they were sure to have while planning an official mating ritual and wedding at the same time.

"Sooner or later you will, darling."

Nelli said back in an equally aristocratic tone.

She rarely used this tone of voice around her friends or anyone here at school.

No, this was saved specially for those of higher power who were worthy of its elegant drawl.

She admired the strong power behind Draco's accent and felt great pleasure any time he spoke to her and her alone.

Draco kissed her one more time before pulling back and taking her hand in his own so he could lace their fingers tightly together.

"Well, shall we be on our way, my love? I do believe you have a new home and family to see."

He said with a playful smile making her heart melt in her chest.

"After you, dear."

She said in a confident tone even though her nerves were getting to her.

She couldn't help but wonder how the Malfoy's would be once they all got settled within their rather large manor.

She had finally been convinced to move into the manor but it had taken almost three days to do so.

Draco and her friends, along with Draco's godfather Severus had taken a lot of time to try to convince her to go ahead with their destined plans.

And finally, she had given in knowing that this was the way her life was meant to be and that she needed to accept it for all its worth.

As Draco led her gracefully down the steps from his dorm room, they saw that Severus, their father potions master and Draco's precious godfather was waiting at the very bottom for them in the middle of the empty common room.

Most students had gone out to the regular Hogsmeade trip that was always held each weekend.

Since the end of the war, it happened twice every weekend instead of just once every month.

Now that there was no danger to fear, students and professors alike were a lot calmer welcoming a new dawn of a peaceful era.

Severus's eyes lit up for a moment before turning back to their masked indifferent look when he saw them approach.

"Good evening, godfather. I didn't know you were going to pay us a visit."

Draco said as Severus nodded in greeting to both of them.

"Good evening, Draco. Nelli. I have heard that tonight is the first night that you shall be leaving for the manor where you will be living for the rest of your courtship and until you are married. I just came to offer a word of advice to you both."

He said as he gave them both a knowing look.

Draco saw Nelli tense up out of the corner of his eye and made sure to give her hand a supportive squeeze in case his godfather decided to say something rather upsetting.

That was the last thing they needed.

To upset his mate and fiancé when he had finally convinced her to move into his family's home permanently.

Draco braced himself but was surprised with what his godfather did say.

"You two need to stick close by one another at all times. Just because the war is over doesn't mean there still aren't dangers out there for the likes of you two.

Draco, your father and mother involved you deep into a war that was never of your choosing but you still are held to some regard responsible for the fall of the Dark Lord.

Nelli, your mother and father were killed tragically during the time the war went on, and although you weren't personally involved, the kingdom that you rule under is most certainly involved.

You two need to be cautious around everyone you meet, even those who you think can be fully trusted.

In my opinion you should trust no one but yourselves. It is a much safer option."

He said in a quiet tone making Nelli's smile slip into a frown and Draco to pull his mate into his arms protectively as he stared down his godfather.

"Do you know of something? Some threat that is coming for my mate and I? If so now would be the time to reveal it."

Draco growled as his eyes turned pitch black and he felt the itch of his wings from underneath his white buttoned down shirt.

Nelli was unsure of why Severus was giving them this particular warning, but somehow she knew that he meant no harm.

Placing a solid hand on her mate's chest, she shook her head and met his midnight black eyes.

"I don't think he means any harm, Draco. I think he simply knows that it could be a possibility because of our high statuses in the wizarding society and because you were personally involved with the core of the war on blood purity."

She said gently as Severus gave her an encouraging nod.

"That is correct. Surely you know me better than to try and harm you, god son. We are family after all and were on the exact same side of the war."

Severus reminded the angered veela who was slowly but surely calming down.

It took a few minutes, but finally Draco returned to his normal self but still felt very possessive and felt a need to protect his mate at all costs so Nelli knew that it was best that she stay by his side the entire night for the sake of his comfort.

And her comfort if she was being honest.

Now that Severus had brought up the very real reality of a danger that still lurked from darker times in their world's history, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed with her mate and hide under the covers until whatever danger was over completely.

Feeling his hand clasping her own tightly gave her some relief to the anxiety that now was sure to build within her.

But after a few moments, Severus bid them goodnight and left them alone with their thoughts and new concerns.

Draco turned quickly to her as soon as Severus was gone, and took her face into both his hands directing her to look straight up into his eyes.

"I don't give a shit what he told us was going to try and harm us. I swear on my life that I will NEVER let anything or anyone ever hurt you or even get near enough to try.

Now that I've come into my veela inheritance, I can protect us both quite easily.

But I need you to promise me with everything that you are, that you will stay by my side no matter what happens and that I will always be able to count on you to listen and understand what I have to say."

He said in a firm tone as his grey eyes met her own.

Nelli was caught off guard by her mate's insistence on affirming their mating bond for one another but she knew that this was most likely a side effect of his veela feeling threatened at the mention of harm coming to either him or his mate.

So she nodded slowly but was surprised when he shook his head harshly and stared down at her with a look that could only be seen as primal and animalistic.

"Say it. I need to hear you say it. I need you to swear to me that you'll stay right here. By my side and that I'll never have to suffer the pain of losing you."

He said as he began to choke on his words.

Tears filled her own eyes as she watched her mate crumble before her very eyes.

Draco let go of her and walked over to the fireplace where they would leaving for his manor at any minute.

He wiped at his eyes that were no doubt wet with tears like her own.

And when he turned back to her there wasn't a tear left to be seen, but the red blotchy spots underneath his eyes and on his pale skin was enough to let her know that he too felt scared.

Scared of a future that was destiny and uncertain at the same time.

Without a word, she went to her mate, who she knew needed her now more than ever and took his hand in her own before they both stepped into the fireplace and left the castle despite the dangers that were waiting right outside its walls.


End file.
